A guide for girls: Menstrupedia

February 20, 2017

Menstrupedia is the brainchild of the Indian Aditi Gupta (left on the picture). Together with co-founder and artist Tuhin Paul (right on the picture), a technical guy, and a medical advisor, she started the online ‘friendly guide for healthy periods’. Their mission: to shatter menstrual taboos in the conservative India.

What are menstrual myths?

The other goal of the guide is to educate girls: what’s a tampon? What is menstruation? Where to leave your used sanitary towels? What are menstrual myths and how do they influence the lives of girls? According to some topics in the question sections, (like ‘Is it normal to wake up with an erection?’), this guide for girls is also read by boys. The Menstrupedia website is available in English and Hindi.

Comic book in ten languages

There’s also a Menstrupedia comic book, which girls aged 9-14 can use to learn about menstruation on their own. This book is now available in ten languages. With versions in English, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Nepali and Spanish, menstrual knowledge won’t only be accessible all over India, but everywhere from South America to Nepal. The comic focuses on the physical and emotional changes during puberty, what goes on inside the body during a period, tracking your menstrual cycle and menstrual hygiene management. Curious? Read the first chapter (in English) here.